The joint is up in arms over this overreach. Newsagent WH Smith has placed a ban on under fourteen-year-olds from purchasing magazines featuring shooting sports or hunting. They came to this decision after being browbeaten by animal rights groups. The problem is they think this is "reasonable."

There is a possible boycott afoot and a representative of the Countryside Alliance stated "They are now going to face the backlash of the countryside rather than a handful of animal rights activists."

Country sports enthusiasts are furious at a decision by Britain's biggest newsagent to ban children from buying shooting magazines after a campaign by animal rights activists.

WH Smith says youngsters under 14 will not be sold shooting titles, even though it is legal to hold a shotgun licence below that age.

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Gun Control: The premise that a woman found in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is morally superior to allowing that same woman to defend her life with a firearm.

"Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house." - Jules Henri Poincare

"Three thousand people died on Sept. 11 because eight pilots were killed"
-- former Northwest Airlines pilot Stephen Luckey

There was also legislation to ban glass pint glasses because folks were smashing them and using them to cut each other.

England chose a different approach to the problem of violence. It hasn't worked, and I find it deeply flawed in concept. We're welcome to discuss the failures of their approach, but let's not sink to bashing the English in general.

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Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe

I don't see what the issue is on a broad scale. The government did not force this and the public has other options from which to buy their magazines. It was a private business deciding how they wish to conduct business.

Personally I think it's a silly business decision, but it seems to be within their legal ability(since there is no mention of possible violation of some sort of discrimination law) to decide what they sell and who they sell it to.

Business decision made by a formerly thriving newsagent chain, now in chronic decline. Plenty of other places to buy them. To be honest, it is such a non-issue for almost everyone that I am surprised WH Smith bothered to come up with this inane rule.

As for the no stab knives and the banning of knives and whatever else people have heard, sorry, no. I am sure someone has dreamt up a design for no stab knives, but we have normal knives here, promise. Knives are restricted in the sense that kids cannot buy them, owning them as an adult is perfectly legal.

The thing about shatter proof pint glasses actually made some good sense in some areas. I think it originated in Manchester, the next city over from my one. ''Glassing'' attacks are one of the main forms of drunken violence that blight British towns and cities and they are absolutely horrific. It was not so much an issue of smashing then using the sharp edges of the glass as a weapon, people smash them into each others faces. I have seen it happen, it causes horrific injuries, massive mutilation to the facial tissues, people lose eyes etc. So, they swapped the glass for a high strength, low weight plastic in some pubs/clubs in Manchester which had particular problems with violence. They are not that widespread, and are quite widely disliked because it is impossible to enjoy beer properly out of plastic. Pretty much all normal pubs have proper glasses, made of glass.

Just like in the States, when large crowds/groups are served beer, it often comes in flimsy, cheap plastic cup things though.

Most violence in this country is alcohol related. I can't back that with stats, but it is well known to be the case amongst those who live here. Anyway, bit of a tangent there.

Reading the previous post brought to mind some scummy looking guy with the inside of his overcoat stuffed with ‘Guns and Ammo’ magazines hanging around the playground going “Psst! Hey kid! Ya ever see a field stripped 1911?”

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